Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-13
MEN WHO WORK HARD.
Dissipation Of . Deiusion Regarding h
hallway Mall Service.

o. -
Dissipation of = Delusion Regarding the
Railway Mall Service.
Did YOU ever notice the United States
Mail wagon en- route to the ~postoffice
from the Northern Pacific train from the
west. IL so you have doubtless observed
a railway postal clerk sitting jauntily
beside the driver and have perhaps en-
We'd him for his easy work, his opportu-
nifty to see the country and his 81 900 o
year salary. II SO, don't be envious
again. No ten men in st. Paul work as
hard or as many hours or begin to know
as they do what il 10 to be thoroughly
exhausted and worn out" There are
Lounshcrry and Tennis and Yost and
Brown, and they are all numbered among
the most efficient railway mail clerks in
the country. but no man who values his
health and his happiness and his free
dom will ever seek influence to secure
their official scalps.
The man who would succeed them
must work six months for $500 and COM
nit to memory every postofice in Min
nesota. Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Wiscon-
sin, Wyoming and portions of other
territories and statcs-thousands i'm num-
Der. New offices are constantly being
added. old ones are being discontinued,
new time tables go into effect and the
lesson is never learned. II you think
you work hard let me tell you of the
work that the above named men do.
After studying night and day for six
months to pass an examination they are
ready to take a run. II they go west
Monday they must 60 10 the p~ostofiice
as early as noon and register and receipt
for registered letters and pouches. They
then go to their postal car on the side
track and work four long hours piling in
consecutive order tons and tons Of heavy
letter and paper mail. About 4 O'Clock
the train starts west and from the mo-
ment il leaves the Union depot until il
arrives in Bismarck. Oak. twcnty-four
and n half hours after the work is com
menc~l in the car, the clerk is on his
feet working with might and main.
There is not a moment 10 sit down,
sleep or eat. except a hasty cold lunch
from a dinner pail. Mail must h. put oil
and taken ON at every station night and
| day. even where the train does not stop.
The distribution Of the mail tires the
mind. The swaying and jolting OF the
car tires the legs. The lifting Of the
sacks containing tons of paper and pub
lie documents. tires every muscle in the
body. The work cannot be neglected.
Sick or well. dead or alive, the WORK
must be pushed, as a certain amount il
absolutely required TO be performed
Every error is checked and sent TO de
partment headquarters at Washington
Valuable packages must he receipted fol
and kept under lock and key. Ever
when Bismarck is reached the work i.
not compete until the mail is delivered
to Postmaster Slattery. and the regis
tered packages are checked of and re
! ceipted for. ASter twenty-seven hour,
OF continuous work there are twenty
four hours for rest. and then the am,
hard work must he repeated on the re
turn trip. Whenever YOU seea Northern
Pacific postal clerk on a mail wagon. i
you have an endorsement for prcscnta
ton 10 Postmaster General Villas Use i
TO kindle a fire with. IL YOU 10 YOU viii
have future cause To be thankful.